The Internet and its Impact in Non-Western Nations - Essay Example

Topic: The Internet and its impact in Non-Western nations Student’s name Course name Lecturer’s name 5th August 2010 Introduction The internet has brought major revolutions in the manner in which different activities and processes are carried in the contemporary world. The internet has made it possible for people to interact closely regardless of their distance making the world a global village. This means that the ease with which people interact through the internet has shortened the major distances that separate people from all world regions. The internet can be defined as the system of computer networks which are interconnected and that serve billions of people worldwide using a standard IP or internet protocol suite (Castells, 1996). In this regard, the internet has opened the darkest (remotest) parts of the world and exposed such remote part soft the world to the general global picture. This is evident from the increased tourism activities that have continued to be registered in major remote parts of the world which had not been exposed to tourism before the internet was invented (Castells, 1996). It is imperative to note that the internet has been significantly used as a medium for western culture for a long time. However, in the recent past it has also been largely adopted and used in non-western nations as the easiest and the fastest means of communication across the global systems. The focus of this paper is to explore the extent to which the internet has been used to promote and strengthen the societies of non-western nations rather than being a medium for western culture alone (Comer, 2006). Specifically, this paper focuses on how the internet has helped to promote and strengthen culture of the societies in non-western nations. According to Gladney (2003) the internet has been used widely as a medium of promoting and strengthening the societies of non-western nations significantly. Gladney (p.4) noted that the internet has strengthened and promoted ethnic groups, minorities and migrants in different parts of the world. For example, the internet has been used widely to promote and strengthen the unity of the Uyghur society both in China and also the Uyghur society members in the Diaspora. Although, the Uyghur people of China have always designed and used different medium of communication such as use of telephones and mobile phones in order to form networks with their fellow society members across the globe the intensity of interaction has never been instrumental in enhancing their voice when calling for greater freedom of exercising their cultural practices in their homeland. However, the advent of the internet communication medium has made it possible for the members of the Uyghur society to interact closely from all over the world making it possible for the Uyghur people to exert their cultural rights in China and across the world. This has been made possible through the accelerated pace with which the internet has been able to reach different Uyghur ethnic group members and increasing the rate of interaction which has made the Uyghur society which was once considered a remote ethnic group in China to emerge as one of the well known ethnic groups in China (Randolph & Kenneth, 2005). Since early 1990s, the Uyghur community has used the internet as their vehicle for communication. Organizations formed by the Uyghur members in China and in the Diaspora have designed and created websites which has helped the society in general to champion for indepdence and freedom through recognition of their culture. For instance, using the website such as www.uygur.org which uses the internet as the medium of communication, the nationalist movements have been able to strengthen the culture and the traditions of the Uyghur people in China and across the world. It is important to note that Uyghur is a society in a non-western country which proves the fact that the internet has been used to promote and strengthen the society of non-western nations rather than being a medium of western culture alone. According to Mitambo (2006) the internet has emerged as the most instrumental medium of communication which has helped to strengthen and promote the culture of the societies in non-western nations and particularly societies in Africa. Citing the case of the Maasai society in Kenya, Mitambo (p. 45) noted that the Maasai society would never have been brought to the global limelight had it not been made possible by the internet. This is due to the remote nature of the society and their traditions which separate them from the rest of the communities in the urban areas of the country. Mitambo noted that the fact that the Maasai society is closely connected to the attractive wildlife sceneries in Kenya has made it possible for the visiting tourists to take note of the traditions and culture of the Maasai people and later distribute this information through the internet. As a result the Maasai culture and traditions has become a significant centre of attraction for visitors from all the parts of the world. In this perspective, the internet has been used as a medium of promoting and strengthening the Maasai society in Kenya. The current business environment has resulted into serious fragmentation of the people particularly from the non-western nations who migrate to other part soft the world in search of jobs. However, the use of the internet has enabled the immigrants from Asian, African and the Caribbean countries to remain United and continue upholding their cultural practices even when in the western (Piet, 2001). For example, the English language which has long been used in the internet for communication internet is today translated into different languages making it possible for people to communicate using their languages rather than using the English language. This is particularly important in promoting cultural languages and practices of the people in non-western nations. Additionally, the internet has also made it possible for broadcasting stations to broadcast in their ethnic languages thus promoting further the culture of the societies in non-western nations. It is imperative to note that the migrants from the non-western nations who migrate to the western nations are completely cut-off from their culture once they enter into the western nations. Nevertheless, the internet helps such people to connect back to their culture by listening to their indigenous songs and stories over the internet as it is broadcasted by radio stations back in their homeland. It is therefore evident that the internet is widely used to promote and strengthen the society in non-western nations rather than being a medium for western culture alone. One of the key elements of culture is dancing. Sita & Jacqueline (2002) held that for a long period of time the internet was populated by the western dancing styles. This was particularly meant to promote the western culture in other parts of the world. However, in the recent past the internet has been used significantly by societies in non-western nations such as Asia to promote their dancing styles which is part of their culture both in their countries and to the rest of the world. This has enhanced greater cultural exchanges of dancing styles between societies in different parts of the world. Using virtual classes over the internet to learn dancing styles the internet has therefore helped to promote cultural practices and traditions of different societies in non-western nations to other parts of the world (Kane et al., 1999). Language is also an important element of a society’s culture. Language enables people in the same cultural group to communicate with each other. However, the advent of the internet has made it possible for societies in different parts of the world to promote their languages to other part soft the world (Regry, 2007). For example, the internet has enabled the transmission of the Chinese language to many part soft the world and students in different countries have mastered the use of the Chinese language through virtual learning over the internet. This is the same case with other western countries such as France, Japan and Spain which took the advantage of the internet to promote their languages to other parts of the world. In the same perspective, the Kiswahili language used by most non-western countries in the Eastern part of Africa has also been promoted widely using the internet making it possible for other people in western countries to talk Kiswahili language (Coffman, 1998). Such uses of the internet to transit communication in indigenous languages are meant to strengthen and promote societies in non-western nations. In conclusion, the internet has played a major role in strengthening and promoting the societies in non-western nations. Starting with promoting individual societies such as Uyghur in China and Maasai in Kenya, the internet has also promoted and strengthened other cultural elements such as language and dancing styles across the globe. Although, for a long time the internet had been an instrument of promoting the western culture to other parts of the world resulting into the widespread of English, French, Spanish and other western languages in other parts of the world in the recent past it has been instrumental in promoting and strengthening the culture of the non-western nations. It is therefore an important medium of communication which can be used to enhance further integration of cultures across the globe. References Castells, M. (1996). Rise of the Network Society. 3 vols. Vol. 1. (Cambridge, MA, Blackwell Publishers). Coffman, K. (1998). The size and growth rate of the internet. (PDF). AT&T Labs. Comer, D. (2006). The Internet book. (New York, Prentice Hall), p. 64. Gladney, D. (2003). "Cyber–Separatism and Uyghur ethnic nationalism in China," Center for Strategic and International Studies. Kane, N. et al. (1999). Dance Teacher, Dance for the Millennium: Dance and Technology, July-August, Pg nos: 52-53. Mitambo, K. (2006). Promoting culture over the internet: A case study of Maasai of Kenya. (Oxford, Oxford University Publishers) Piet, B. (2001). "New nationalism: The Internet crusade," Paper presented at the International Studies Association Annual Convention, Chicago (20–24 February), at http://www.tamilnation.org/selfdetermination/nation/bakker.pdf. Randolph, K., & Kenneth, C. (2005). Asia.com: Asia encounters the Internet. New York: Rutledge Curzon, pp. 175–192. Regry, J. (2007). The social impact of the internet in the contemporary society, (New York, Sage Publishers) Sita, P., & Jacqueline, S. (2002). Dance-Making on the Internet: Can On-Line Choreographic Projects Foster Creativity in the User-Participant?, Leonardo, Volume 35, Number 1, Pg nos 31-36 Read More